Pope Francis opens a special canonization process of 16 Carmelite martyrs of the French revolution. They have martyred on 17 July 1794, during the Reign of Terror, the frightening period of the French Revolution which oversaw the execution of at least 17,000 people.
As per the special request of the bishops of France and the Order of Carmelites Discalced (OCD), Pope Francis agreed to open a special process known in the Catholic Church as “equipollent canonization” to raise the 16 Carmelite martyrs of Compiègne to the altars.
Equipollent, or “equivalent,” canonization is, as the usual canonization process, an invocation of papal infallibility where the Pope declares that a person is among the saints in heaven. It avoids the formal process of canonization as well as the ceremony since it occurs by the publication of a papal bull.
Longtime veneration of the saint and demonstrated heroic virtue are still required, and though no modern miracle is necessary, the fame of miracles that occurred before or after his or her death is taken into account after study is made by the historical section of the Congregation of the Saints.
The process is very rare. Pope Francis has declared other saints through equipollent canonization, such as St. Peter Faber and St. Margaret of Costello, something that Pope Benedict XVI also did for St. Hildegard of Bingen and Pius XI granted for St. Albert the Great.
The long-revered martyrs include 11 nuns, three lay sisters, and two externs.
Their feast day will remain July 17.